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Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) in gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) and gastric cancer (GC) was shown to improve survival in recent studies. We aimed to share our real-life experience of patients who received NACT to compare the efficacy and toxicity profile of different chemotherapy regimens in our country. This retrospective multicentre study included locally advanced GC and GEJ cancer patients who received NACT between 2007 and 2021. Relation between CT regimens and pathological evaluation were analysed. A total of 794 patients from 45 oncology centers in Turkey were included. Median age at the time of diagnosis was 60 (range: 18-86). Most frequent NACT regimens used were FLOT (65.4\%), DCF (17.4\%) and ECF (8.1\%), respectively. In the total study group, pathological complete remission (pCR) rate was 7.2\%, R0 resection rate 86.4\%, and D2 dissection rate was 66.8\%. Rate of pCR and near-CR (24\%), and R0 resection (84\%) were numerically higher in FLOT arm (p > 0.05). Patients who received FLOT had also higher chemotherapy-related toxicity rate compared to patients who received other regimens (p > 0.05). Median follow-up time was 16 months (range: 1-154 months). Estimated median overall survival (OS) was 58.4months (95\% CI: 35.2-85.7) and disease-free survival (DFS) was 50.7 months (95\% CI: 25.4-75.9). The highest 3-year estimated OS rate was also shown in FLOT arm (68\%). We still do not know which NACT regimen is the best choice for daily practice. Clinicians should tailor treatment regimens according to patients' multifactorial status and comorbidities for to obtain best outcomes. Longer follow-up period needs to validate our results.

We employ geocoded data to explore the effects of ethnic enclaves in Swedish cities on the propensity of Middle Eastern immigrants to transcend from having no employment to self-employment. We demonstrate a robust tendency for immigrants to leave non-employment for self-employment if many co-ethnic peers in the enclave are business owners, while we observe weak effects emanating from business owners in other groups. Net of these effects, overall enclave size, measured by the local concentration of co-ethnic peers, has a negative influence on the propensity for a non-employed immigrant to become self-employed. © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. open access

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of nasal septum deviation on the pharyngeal airway and craniocervical posture measurements using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT).This retrospective study analyzed the CBCTs of 25 patients with and without nasal septum deviation. Various parameters defining the pharyngeal airway and craniocervical and facial skeletal morphology were measured and compared between the groups after confirming intra-examiner reliability.Compared to the control group, the group with nasal septum deviation had a statistically significantly shorter nasopharyngeal length (Children with a nasal septum deviation of 4 mm or more on their CBCT scan are susceptible to unfavorable pharyngeal airway and craniocervical postural changes.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore the effects of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced proinflammatory cytokine release in human ocular surface epithelial cells exposed to LPS and LPS-binding protein (LBP). Methods: Immortalized human corneal, conjunctival, and meibomian gland epithelial cells were cultured in keratinocyte-free medium. After confluency, they were exposed to a stratification medium Dulbecco's modified Eagle medium (DMEM)/F12 in the presence of fetal bovine serum and were exposed to vehicle, LPS + LBP, or DHT. Culture media were processed for multiplex-bead analysis of specific proinflammatory cytokines including interferon (IFN)-γ, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-2, IL-4, IL-8, IL-6, IL-10, IL-1β, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A. Cytokine concentrations were compared by analysis of variance with Tukey post hoc testing. p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The results are LPS + LBP-induced the secretion of IFN-γ, IL-6, IL-10, IL-1β, VEGF-A cytokines in corneal epithelial cells; TNF-α, IL-2, IL-8, IL-6, IL-1β, VEGF-A cytokines in conjunctival epithelial cells; and IL-8, IL-6, IL-1β, VEGF-A cytokines in meibomian gland epithelial cells. When these LPS + LBP-stimulated cells were exposed to DHT for 2 days, it was found that DHT suppressed the secretion of IL-6, IL-10, IL-1β, VEGF-A cytokines in corneal epithelial cells; TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β, VEGF-A cytokines in conjunctival epithelial cells; and IL-6, IL-1β, VEGF-A cytokines in meibomian gland epithelial cells. Conclusion: LPS + LBP is shown to induce the secretion of certain proinflammatory cytokines from ocular surface and adnexal epithelial cells. DHT showed anti-inflammatory activity by suppressing some of those cytokines in these cell lines.

Aim: This study aims to determine the prognostic value of the Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS) and fibrinogen to albumin ratio (FAR) in patients with COVID-19. Methods: Electronic database records of 400 patients with COVID-19 were retrospectively analyzed and the initial levels of CRP, albumin, fibrinogen values were recorded. The ground-glass opacities (GGO) and consolidations were evaluated on thorax CT. Hospital mortality and the need for intensive care unit (ICU) transfer were determined as adverse outcomes. Results: It was determined that 345 patients (86.25%) were discharged while 31 patients (7.75%) were transferred to ICU in addition to 24 patients who died (6%). The rates of deaths and transfers to ICU were significantly increased in GPS 2 group compared to both GPS 0 and 1 groups. Additionally, increased FAR was observed in patients who died and transferred to ICU compared to the discharged patients. The FAR was significantly increased in patients with diffuse GGO. Logistic regression analysis indicated that FAR ≥144.59 and the presence of GPS 2 were independent predictors of the adverse outcomes in COVID-19 patients. Conclusion: Our results demonstrated that the GPS and FAR could possess a predictive value for adverse outcomes in patients with COVID-19.

As the field of study expands, or as the number of observations in a sample increases, data observed at discrete points is generally assumed to be sampled from an underlying real function. As the number of observation points increases, those observations are likely to be sampled from a real-valued function. In this case, the derived data will be examples of a functional structure. We analyzed the daily average temperature data at 65 discrete points in 18 cities in Turkey's Black Sea Region. Fourier basis functions were used as a basis function approach because the temperature data had a periodic structure. The data were then transformed into a continuous function using the basis function and roughness penalty approach. Functional data were obtained using the roughness penalty approach. The generalized cross-validation method was used to determine the smoothing parameter of the variable (temperature variable). Finally, smoothed functional principal components analysis was applied to the functional data. In this way, changes in temperature functions, which seem hard to tackle, were evaluated on the same graph using the mean function generated for the principal component function and using the functions and the mean function obtained using the principal component function.

Indigenous breeds have a high level of genetic diversity that might contribute to develop animal breeds with desired traits such as disease resistance and high productivity. Major histocompatibilit...

This study aims to explore the social history of musicians in Istanbul that lived during the transitional period and experienced the sociopolitical as well as cultural changes from the late Ottoman...

Ilkay Koca Kalkan,1 Gozde Koycu Buhari,1 Hale Ates,1 Buket Basa Akdogan,1 Ozlem Erdem Ozdedeoglu,1 Kurtulus Aksu,1 Ferda Oner Erkekol2 1Department of Immunology and Allergy, Atatürk Chest Diseases and Thoracic Surgery Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey; 2Division of Immunology and Allergy, Department of Chest Diseases, Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University School of Medicine, Ankara, TurkeyCorrespondence: Ilkay Koca KalkanDepartment of Immunology and Allergy, Atatürk Chest Diseases and Thoracic Surgery Training and Research Hospital, Sanatoryum Cad, Keçiören, Ankara 06280, TurkeyTel +90 505 3117710Fax +90 312 3552110Email ilkay.koca@gmail.comPurpose: Local anesthetics (LA) are widely used and adverse drug reactions (ADR) occur in 2.5– 10%, but hypersensitivity reactions are rare (ranging between 0% and 4.3%). Risk is so overestimated causing too many allergy clinic referrals. There are limited and also conflicting results over the management of LA allergy. We aimed to find out who should be referred to an allergy clinic for a LA allergy testing, to define the subjects with an increased risk of LA allergy and to assess the need for testing for identifying alternative LA.Patients and Methods: We performed a retrospective study of patients referred to our clinic for diagnostic workup of LA hypersensitivity from 2006 to 2020.Results: In our cohort of 398 patients, tests were positive in 14 (3.52%) of them. Personal history of ADR with LA was the only independent risk factor for positive test (RR=4.007, p=0.033). Presence of generalized cutaneous symptoms and hypotension during past reaction were independent predictors of positive test (RR=9.043, p=0.021 and RR=10.445, p=0.038, respectively). The negative predictive value of intradermal test at dilution of 1:100 for immediate-type reaction was high (97.56%). Also, we demonstrated cross-reactivity within the amide-group LAs and co-occurrence of immediate- and delayed-type reactions.Conclusion: Only patients with an LA-induced ADR should be referred to an allergy clinic. History of generalized cutaneous symptoms and/or hypotension during the reaction may define subjects with an increased risk of LA allergy. A stepwise test procedure may start with skin tests especially for these patients with increased risk factors. In presence of LA allergy, alternative LA should always be confirmed by performing a challenge test.Keywords: intradermal tests, local anesthetics, drug hypersensitivity, skin tests, risk factors, prick tests

Scrapie is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy caused by prions and leads to neurodegeneration in the Central Nervous System (CNS) of sheep and goats. Genetic resistance/susceptibility to scrapie is well studied and it is known that the variations of 136th, 154th and 171st codons at the ovine PRNP gene have a major effect on the development of the disease. Many studies demonstrated that selection for PRNP genotypes has not influenced other performance traits, nevertheless, there is a knowledge gap about the possible link between the PRNP gene and the status of the other important diseases that affect the sheep population worldwide. in the present study, we tested whether there is an association between scrapie-related PRNP genotypes and fecal egg count (FEC) of gastrointestinal nematodes in seven adult Turkish sheep breeds. For this purpose, FEC scores of studied sheep (n = 253) were determined and the same animals were genotyped for the PRNP gene. Finally, an association analysis was performed for scrapie resistant (ARR), susceptible (VRQ), and wild-type (ARQ) haplotypes. Based on our statistical analysis, it is concluded that PRNP genotypes have no positive or negative effect on the FEC scores of adult sheep., Republic of Turkey Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, General Directorate of Agricultural Research and Policies [TAGEM/HAYSUD/15/A01/P02/02-02], This research has been funded by the Republic of Turkey Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, General Directorate of Agricultural Research and Policies (Project number: TAGEM/HAYSUD/15/A01/P02/02-02).

This article focuses on the ‘Europe’ of populist radical right parties in general, and the Lega of Matteo Salvini and its perception of Europe in particular. Especially after Brexit, Salvini has em...

Freshly cut 30-mm-thick wood disks of Scots pine, Caucasian elm, narrow-leafed ash, wild cherry, black walnut, and European alder with various natural grade defects were dried together in a radiofrequency-vacuum (RF/V) dryer. A mild four-step drying schedule at the maximum temperature of 45 degrees C and power density in the range of 1-2 kWm(-3)with an on-off control of RF radiation at the final step was used. The moisture content of the disks at the end of drying ranged from 10.6% to 13.4%. An almost uniform radial moisture gradient developed in the dried disks. The six wood species, however, exhibited variations in checking. The RF/V drying schedule used here was able to completely inhibit near-bark radial checking in all disks but pine and elm, whereas it failed to efficiently prevent V-cracking in pine and ash with a high mean tangential to radial shrinkage anisotropy (S-T/S-R). A strong positive correlation was also found between S-T/S(R)and the proportion of V-cracked disks. The occurrence of ring failure within the reaction wood-containing disks of walnut, pine, and elm was almost completely prevented by the drying schedule, but a significant correlation was observed between the pith eccentricity and V-crack length in the compression wood-containing disks of pine. All other natural defects, i.e., scar in cherry, bark pocket, double or triple pithing in walnut and elm, sound knots in pine, and roundness deviation, exhibited no statistically significant effect (p > 0.05) on check formation. College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at University of Tehran This work was financially supported by College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at University of Tehran. This study was carried out in Turkey during a research stay of the first author at Duzce University. We would like to thank Recep Sivrikaya Company in Duzce for allowing us to use the industrial RF/V kiln. WOS:000579695500001 2-s2.0-85092777335

Synthetic micro/nanomotors (MNMs) are novel, self-propelled nano or microscale devices that are widely used in drug transport, cell stimulation and isolation, bio-imaging, diagnostic and monitoring, sensing, photocatalysis and environmental remediation. Various preparation methods and propulsion mechanisms make MNMs "tailormade" nanosystems for the intended purpose or use. As the one of the newest members of nano carriers, MNMs open a new perspective especially for rapid drug transport and gene delivery. Although there exists limited number of in-vivo studies for drug delivery purposes, existence of in-vitro supportive data strongly encourages researchers to move on in this field and benefit from the manoeuvre capability of these novel systems. In this article, we reviewed the preparation and propulsion mechanisms of nanomotors in various fields with special attention to drug delivery systems.

Glanzmann's thrombasthenia (GT) is an autosomal recessive disorder in which the underlying problem is the lack or dysfunction of the GpIIb/IIIa receptor on the platelet surface. The present study determines the genetic mutation typology and analyzes the association between mutation types and clinical findings in patients diagnosed with GT who were followed up in Department of Pediatric Hematology of the Yuzuncu Yil University School of Medicine. The medical charts of 17 patients who underwent therapy and that were followed up in the Department of Pediatric Hematology of the Yuzuncu Yil University Dursun Odabas Medical Center between January 2008 and April 2018 were reviewed retrospectively. Data on such patient characteristics as present genetic mutations, age, gender, age at diagnosis, presenting symptoms, clinical findings, and platelet count and volume were garnered from the patient records. Of the 12 patients identified with genetic mutations, six had the same type of mutation, while four were identified with novel mutations that have to date not been defined in literature. Of these four mutations, three were located in the ITGA2B gene and one in the ITGB3 gene. The present study identified no significant association between the genetic and clinical findings of the patients. Novel mutations were identified in four cases in the present study. No association was found between the mutation type, and the bleeding scores and bleeding phenotypes of the patients. Further studies involving a larger number of patients are required to determine the relationship between the genotypes and clinical findings in patients with GT.

Common processes involved in remembering and predicting personal and public events have led researchers to study public events as a part of autobiographical memory. In the present study, we asked for past events and future predictions and examined the temporal distribution and factors that made these salient in event representations. A sample of 1577 individuals reported six most important public events since their birth and six future events that they expected. Past events mostly came from the recent past and were negative in valence. Similarly, future predictions consisted of negative events that are expected to occur in the near past. We did not find a reminiscence bump but there was a strong recency effect. Despite being inconsistent with some literature, this supports the view that remembering the past is largely influenced by the current goals and experiences. Also, in predicting what is remembered from the past and what is expected in the future, what individuals believed others would report appeared as a robust predictor.

WOS: 000470364400001, The purpose of the present in vitro study was to evaluate the effects of nutritional habits (various liquids) on the color change and early repair bond strength of a leucite-based ceramic repaired with different contents of nanohybrid composite resins currently used by the clinicians. Ninety-six IPS-Empress CAD ceramic samples were obtained with low-speed diamond saw. For all samples same repair method was performed. Samples were divided into groups according to four nanohybrid composite resins used as a repair material: Tetric-N-Ceram Bulk Fill, Filtek Z550, Clearfil-Majesty Esthetic, Bisco-Aelite Aesthetic Enamel (n = 24). Composite resins were applied on ceramic surface and polymerized (40 sec). After waiting for 24 h, samples were divided into three subgroups according to liquid types: pomegranate-flavored mineral water, salad dressing, and distilled water (n = 8). Before and after immersion the samples in the various liquids, color measurements were calculated (24 h). Then, shear bond strength was tested with an universal testing machine.For the statistical analyses two-way ANOVA, Tukey HSD, Spearman's correlation tests were used at a significance of p 0.05). When a composite resin is selected as a repair material, nutritional habits of the patient should be taken into consideration. Although hydrophilic monomer type of a composite material is a more predominant factor associated with color change, filler weight has the same predominant effect on shear-bond strength.

Purpose: This descriptive and cross-sectional study aims to determine the sexual function status of primipar and multipar pregnant women who admitted to birth clinics in Iran, Turkey and Greece and to investigate the relationship between pregnancy processes and some variables. Methodology: This descriptive and cross-sectional study population consisted of primipar/multipar pregnant women who met the research inclusion criteria, agreed to participate in the research and admitted to the Tabriz Pars Clinic in Iran, Izmir Aegean Maternity Hospital in Turkey and Thessaloniki University Hospital in Greece. Results: When the sexual problems of women are compared according to their countries,it was determined that 40% of Iranian women “can’t easily share their sexuality issues with their spouses”, whereas this rate was 8% in Turkey and 6.7% in Greece.Considering the prevalence of orgasmic and arousal disorder in the pre-pregnancy period,it was reported that this rate was 53% in Iran, 47% in Greece and 5.6% in Turkey.In the study, the mean “Female Sexual Function Index(FSFI)” score of Turkish women was found to be (59.83 ± 21.75), whereas the FSFI score of Iranian women was (62.86 ± 22.71) and mean FSFI score of the Greek women was (54.33 ± 21.15). Discussion: In the study, it was shown that there is a difference in the sexual problems of the women, depending on the religious and socio-cultural structure of the country they live in. For an effective case and training on sexuality,the norms and values of the society have to be understood in order to raise quality of lives and problem-free sexuality of pregnant women. © 2018, © 2018 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group., Ege Üniversitesi, We thank the Ege University, Institute of Health Sciences Midwifery Department Post Graduate Students “Mina CHALABIANLOU and Sevgi ALI” for their kindly appreciated great support.